Assorted Bits
New Jersey Governor McGreevey resigned the other day. In the outfall, it looks there may have been other issues behind his resignation, but if it was primarily because he’s gay, it was senseless. No, the people voting for him didn’t know he was gay, but so what? You wouldn’t stand for re-election if you changed from your religion, so why should matter if your perceived sexual orientation changed?
From the viewpoint of gay rights, it also would have been a terrific boon. The vast majority of Americans who oppose equal rights for gays probably haven’t met many (if any) gay people. The only images that stick are the outlandish ones fostered by Act Up and up the like. They don’t have opportunity to see that the vast majority of gay people are no different from themselves, save an attraction to a person of the same sex. McGreevey had an opportunity to demonstrate that & it’s a shame he didn’t take it.
In related news, the California Supreme Court struck down all gay marriages conducted in San Francisco recently, the reason being the city didn’t have the authority to conduct them. Which is the case. The responsibility of the Executive branch of government is to uphold the law, not to create the law. As it stands the majority of Americans, or even the majority of California’s, apparently feel that gay marriage is the way to go. And while I support the effort to change that, the solution is to try to change their minds, not to end around them.
In totally unrelated news, and on a more somber tone, Lt. Dan‘s unit was featured in a Washington Post article, Death, duty in forgotten corner of war . Despite emailing him on a regular basis, I hadn’t realized his battalion had the 2nd highest casualty count of all units in Iraq. Dan’s even quoted in article:
“The first killed-in-action we had, everybody was quiet for a long time,” said Lt. Daniel Casey, 30, a former Peace Corps volunteer from Chicago. “They stood around the hallways here, and nobody even thought of going for chow. It’s sad what you get accustomed to. Unfortunately, now we have a casualty and the routine just goes on. You feel guilty, but that’s how it is.”
His unit is set to return to the States in the next week or so, and if all goes to plan, he & I will be sharing a room in Vegas for Sang‘s (aka graffiti blogger james carter) bachelor party. Here’s to a safe return.
